


the nap problem

by Bloodsbane



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Aromantic Sasha James, Bisexual Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Canon Bisexual Character, Demisexual Tim Stoker, First Crush, Fluff and Humor, Friends With Benefits, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28584315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodsbane/pseuds/Bloodsbane
Summary: Tim has a problem. Sasha is incredibly unhelpful.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Tim Stoker, Sasha James & Tim Stoker
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	the nap problem

**Author's Note:**

> Rated T for references to sex, but nothing's discussed in any detail or at length. Tim and Sasha's canonical one-time fling is also mentioned in this fic, but I didn't think it needed its own tag. They're on perfectly amicable terms over it though.

“Alright Stoker.” Sasha took a sip of her drink, settling in on her side of the booth. “Spill.”

They were in their usual place, a small bar, more long than it was wide, and therefore quieter than most places. It was good for watching one of the three televisions they had playing sports games, or idling around at the bar, or grabbing a bite of something half-decent. It was also a good place to speak in private, and that’s what Tim needed most tonight. 

“I’ve got… kind of a problem.” 

Sasha quirked a brow. “What sort of problem? Not anything dire, I hope?”

“Nothing life threatening, no.” Tim told her. Then paused, pretending to think. “Well, maybe.” 

“Tim.” 

“I mean, I _probably_ won’t die over it.”

“Could we please get to what ‘it’ is, then? Maybe then we can make a plan to prevent any future dying on your part.”

Tim nodded in agreement, but still delayed, toying with the condensation on his glass. He wanted to tell Sasha, and it’s not that he was shy about it, really — he told Sasha practically everything! It was just… well, he wasn’t sure exactly how to explain his feelings. Tim had quite a lot of them, and he’d spent the whole day stewing, hardly getting any work done before clocking out. 

All he could think to say was, “Martin fell asleep on my couch.” 

Sasha waited, as if that was the beginning to a much longer story. When she realized it wasn’t, she said, “Okay… and that’s… bad?”

“No, it’s not bad.”

“Then what is it? Tim, come on, I’m not going to play twenty questions with you tonight.” 

“It’s just… he… he fell asleep on my couch!” Sasha was starting to look a bit miffed, so Tim attempted to explain from a different angle. “Look, you don’t get it- I mean, Martin’s been coming over to my place for ages, right?”

“Yeah, sure.” Sasha knew about that, obviously. Although the two of them had never done anything _intimate_ beyond that one instance — and Tim was more than alright with that, though he’s sure they could’ve had a lot more fun if Sasha had been open to it — they still talked often, and didn’t mind discussing their respective ‘love lives’. Mostly Tim did the talking, really, since love wasn’t so much a thing Sasha was concerned with. Meanwhile, Tim liked meeting people, and he liked dating and having sex too. He had plenty of fun stories to tell, and Sasha might not enjoy being involved in those sorts of interpersonal dramas, but there was fun to be had in hearing about them from a safe distance. 

So, Sasha knew that Tim and Martin had been sleeping together for about half a year. They’d been friends a long time before. Tim remembered the first time he’d met Martin, right after getting hired at the Institute, running into him in the library. He’d helped Tim get familiar with some of the quirks in their system, and had even offered to make tea when Tim offhandedly mentioned having a bit of a headache. It was a brief and inconsequential encounter, but one Tim had never forgotten, and whenever he’d seen Martin from afar those months following, he’d mentally dubbed him ‘that charming fellow from the library.’ 

It wasn’t until one of the small, sort of sad office parties later in the year that he’d finally gotten Martin’s name. They’d chatted for a few minutes over punch that hadn’t been spiked nearly enough, trading names upon Tim’s casual prodding. They’d shared a laugh or two over something or other, then went their separate ways. 

Tim had been pleasantly surprised when Martin joined them in the archives. It was nice to see someone familiar, yet removed from the pre-established dynamic he, Jon, and Sasha had developed during their time at research. And seeing as Jon was determined to let work swallow him up, getting crankier by the day as he shut himself away in his office to obsess over filing systems and spooky statements, it just meant there was plenty of room for Martin to situate himself. 

It took a while, but eventually common ground and routine made it easier. Martin was easily Tim’s best friend right alongside Sasha. The fact that Martin came over to Tim’s place wasn’t odd. The idea of him sleeping at Tim’s place wasn’t out of the question, either — they’ve both spent the night in each other’s bed before. Yet somehow, this was different. Significant and meaningful in a way that had kind of freaked Tim out, enough that he’d texted Sasha the morning right after, asking for an emergency hangout after work. 

Now here they were, and Tim still couldn’t figure out quite how to put it into words.

“Look, see, the thing is you don’t get it,” he begins. “Have you ever been at Martin’s place?”

“Huh… No, actually, I don’t think so. We always go to yours.” 

“Yeah, so you’ve never seen him in ‘host mode’.”

“What, is he really uptight or something?”

“No, not like that. He’s just… I dunno, really polite? He’s attentive and careful in that way you are with guests, but not really with friends.”

“Ah, I see. You mean all the time though?”

“Practically.” Tim chuckled. “I mean, unless we’re — y’know.”

“I do know, unfortunately.” 

“But even then, afterwards, he’s a perfect gentleman all the time. And it’s not annoying, it’s just… It’s not like I think he’s uncomfortable having me there, I think that’s just how he is. Like maybe he feels like he’s got to always be doing his best to make sure _I’m_ comfortable.”

“Uh-huh.” 

Tim knew Sasha isn’t getting him, not quite, and he realized he was a bit embarrassed over trying to describe the way the behavior makes him feel, even though he does understand what that feeling is. 

“It’s sort of the same when he comes over,” Tim continued, trying to segue back to his original point. “I’m not exactly playing host, you know, because I’m fine with him being there and I don’t feel like I have to have things look perfect, you know? He’s just my friend. But he’s always acted like… less like a friend, more like a guest, when he’s over, you know? Not that he doesn’t relax, it’s just— I don’t know, you can tell how _aware_ of himself he is. He tries so hard to stay out of my way and never leave a mess, that sort of thing.”

“That just sounds polite to me,” Sasha said, shrugging as she takes a sip from her drink. 

“I guess. But I’m always telling him he can let loose! Kick up his feet, y’know, whatever. Leave some dishes on the counter, it’s not like I care. He’s my friend, I don’t mind him… living in my space.”

“Uh huh.”

“We have sex for god’s sake! Frequently! I mean, if he’s comfortable enough to do that with me, you’d think he- look, anyway, that’s not exactly the point. I mean it is, just… It’s why the couch thing is a _thing.”_

How can he really convey to Sasha what it means? It’s not like she was there. How can Tim explain the way he felt, truly, in that instant when he’d realized Martin had fallen asleep on his couch? The two of them had been talking, having just got back from work. Tim gently pushed Martin in the direction of his living room, insisting he would make them something quick for dinner. They’d eat and then settle down, maybe have some fun with each other before bed. As always, Martin politely kicked off his shoes by the door, shuffling into the other room. 

They’d continued to talk, mostly Tim recounting a story about another group of friends, with Martin making noises of acknowledgement or amusement at all the appropriate times. Tim knew he was listening, so he’d just kept on talking, even as Martin’s replies grew shorter and softer. 

Tim was still talking when he left the kitchen, leaving the microwave to reheat some leftovers. Still talking, until he’d walked right past the couch, turned, and saw Martin lying there. He’d slumped over, tucked his head against the arm of the couch. His arms were pulled loosely against his chest, one hand covering part of his face. Legs drawn up onto the cushions, he looked cozy. Tim had seen Martin while he was sleeping before, but this… It was different. He’d drifted off into a nap on the couch. They’d been in the middle of a _conversation_ , which meant Martin let his attention drift while Tim was talking, had allowed himself to relax enough that he fell asleep in spite of the chatter coming from the kitchen. 

And that was it, really. Martin had felt comfortable enough with Tim, to just… fall asleep. 

“I think,” Tim said, feeling a blush coming on, “that I… uh. I think I’ve got a crush on him.”

At this, Sasha’s eyes widened, and she put down her drink. “What? Really?”

The amount of surprise in her voice was enough to pull Tim from his fuzzy recollections, and he gave her a look. “What’s with all the shock?” 

“I’ve just… I dunno! You’ve never really liked anyone, far as I can tell. Well, maybe except for me,” she added, smug. 

“Oh, don’t get a big head, James. You’re great, of course I really liked you! But this… I think it’s different. Like, um, I might already be kind of in really deep with this one.” 

Which didn’t happen too often. Yes, Tim liked meeting people, liked to make friends and sometimes sleep with them. There were times where he sometimes harbored especially tender feelings for folks, but he’d found those could be fleeting. Really, he liked things the way they were now, where he could have very fun, casual, open relationships with lots of different folks, to varying degrees. He’d never really had any interest in tying himself to one person, having tried monogamous relationships before and after graduating university. None of them lasted very long, and Tim had always realized, in retrospect, he’d mostly been playing along with the feelings of those he just happened to really like as friends. 

But this, with Martin… it was different. Something about seeing him asleep on Tim’s couch had been so... affecting. It just… reflected a level of affection and trust that Tim hadn’t felt for anyone in a long time. 

Sasha asked, “Do you think it’s really a romantic feeling?” 

“I dunno… It’s enough that I’ve got to wonder. I mean, I don’t know if I’d want to keep it exclusive or anything, but Martin might, you know? So that could be a deal-breaker, and the idea of him not wanting to, if that’s the case…” Tim frowned, tilting his glass to a dangerous degree, threatening to spill his drink. “Yeah… Kinda bums me out.” 

“Alright, so we’ll put that down as a maybe.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Well, you know I’m not really great with that sort of thing,” Sasha told him, sounding mostly unapologetic. She sipped her drink, staring at him with amusement in her eyes as Tim dramatically groaned and put his head in his arms on the table. “What are you going to do?” 

“No idea.” Tim sighed. “Guess I’ll have to pine.” 

“You don’t think he’d like you back?” 

“Dunno… I mean, maybe?”

“He did fall asleep on your couch,” Sasha said, teasing. 

Tim glared, and she giggled, and he rolled her eyes. The rest of the night went by normally, with Sasha changing the subject. When Tim gets home, only a bit tipsy, he eyes the couch and thinks of Martin. Thinks of his face, slack and peaceful; how he’d fallen asleep to the sound of Tim’s voice. 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I came up with the basic concept for this fic (Martin falling asleep on Tim's couch and him developing Big Feelings about it) a loooooong time ago, back when I first got in the fandom I think? But I didn't start writing it until a couple months ago, and by then I'd gotten settled into my headcanon of Tim being aromantic. I intended to have Tim be alloromantic in this, but I guess I was still influenced by my headcanon, so? He came out kinda demi! I like the idea of him not having any real prior experience in having a genuinely romantic relationship with anyone, and now he is stricken dumb with All These Weird Feelings <:3c Poor guy! Hope he figures it out~
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


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